Blood From a Stone (155 page)

“
N
ah.
I
t’
s
not
t
ha
t
,
not
at
a
ll
,”
he
s
a
i
d.
“I
j
ust
g
ot
i
n
t
o
i
t
by
acc
i
den
t
,
I
g
uess
y
ou
cou
l
d
sa
y
.
I
t
w
asn
’
t
re
a
ll
y
of
m
y o
w
n choos
i
n
g
.”

“
R
ea
ll
y
?
T
hen
w
hy
do
y
ou s
t
ay
i
n
it
?
M
one
y
?”

H
e
nodded
and
s
m
ir
k
ed.
“
Y
eah…I
g
uess
y
ou
cou
l
d say
t
ha
t
.
I
can
’
t
say
t
hat
i
t
w
as
m
y
fir
st
ca
r
eer
c
ho
i
ce.
I
j
us
t
…
w
o
k
e
up
one
day and
f
ound
m
y
se
l
f
i
n
t
he bus
i
n
e
ss of s
t
one.”
H
e
l
au
g
hed out
l
oud at
t
he b
itt
er
ir
ony
of
h
i
s
‘
j
o
k
e
’
.

“We
ll
,
t
ha
t‘
s
not
so
bad
i
s
it
?
I
m
ean
so
m
e
peop
l
e s
tr
u
gg
l
e
w
it
h
fi
nd
i
ng
a
ca
r
eer
or
dec
i
d
i
ng
w
hat
t
h
e
y
w
ant
t
o do
w
it
h
t
he
i
r
lif
e.
Y
ou
r
s
j
ust
f
e
l
l
i
n
t
o
y
our
l
ap?”
S
he s
m
il
ed.

H
e
nodded
i
n
a
m
use
m
en
t
.
“
Y
ep.
Y
ou
could
say
t
hat
I suppose.
I
t’
s
tr
ea
t
ed
m
e
w
e
l
l
fi
nanc
i
a
ll
y
and of
c
ou
r
se
t
he
tr
a
v
e
l
.”
N
o
li
e
t
he
r
e.
H
e
w
as
i
ndeed
ri
cher
t
han
s
hi
t
and had
m
ade qu
it
e
t
he
r
ounds be
t
w
een he
r
e and
E
u
r
ope.

S
he
s
m
il
ed.
“
N
ow
t
ha
t’
s
one
t
h
i
ng
I
e
n
v
y
about
y
our
j
ob.
T
he
tr
a
v
el
a
l
one
w
ou
l
d be
i
ncen
ti
v
e
f
or
m
e!
”

H
e
paused
f
or
a
m
o
m
ent
w
e
i
g
h
i
ng h
i
s
w
o
r
ds.
N
ah…he
’
d
be
tt
er
not
e
v
en
put
an
i
dea
t
he
r
e.
T
oo
l
a
t
e.
I
t
w
as as
i
f
h
i
s
v
ocal
c
o
r
ds
had a
m
i
nd of
t
he
i
r
o
w
n. “Ma
y
be
w
e can a
rr
an
g
e
t
ha
t
,” he sa
i
d s
m
ili
n
g
.

“
R
ea
ll
y
?” she shook
her
head.

“
Y
eah.
R
ea
ll
y
.”
H
e
sh
r
u
gg
ed.
“I
dunno.
Ma
y
be
y
ou

cou
l
d co
m
e
on a
tri
p
t
o
E
u
r
ope
w
it
h
m
e
so
m
e
ti
m
e.
We cou
l
d
v
i
s
i
t
so
m
e
of
t
he h
i
s
t
o
ri
c s
it
es…
t
he cas
tl
es.
T
he
h
ill
s
i
des and
t
he
m
oun
t
a
i
ns.”
H
e
r
eached
out
and
pushed
a
l
ock of
her
ha
i
r beh
i
nd
her
ea
r
.
A
nd
w
an
t
ed
t
o
k
i
ck h
i
m
se
l
f
f
or
a
llo
w
i
ng
t
he
w
o
r
ds
t
o
f
a
l
l
fr
om h
i
s
li
ps
be
f
o
r
e
he
cou
l
d
s
t
op
t
he
m
.
G
i
v
i
ng her
i
deas…or
so
m
e
d
r
eam
t
o
ho
l
d
on
t
o
t
hat
w
ou
l
d
n
e
v
er ha
p
pen.
B
ecause
he
w
ou
l
d
be
dead
and
g
one
t
o
her
i
n
a
f
ew
w
ee
k
s, un
l
ess
a
m
ir
ac
l
e happened.

H
e
pu
ll
ed
back
fr
om her
qu
i
c
k
l
y
and
t
ook
ano
t
her
s
i
p of
w
i
ne.